NSHE meeting means more waiting

December’s Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents and Faculty Senate Meeting left two controversial measures unresolved last Thursday and Friday.

NSHE officials delayed voting on proposals that would bring about changes to the current system of transferring and firing employees. University of Nevada, Reno, administrators believed the changes could have negative impacts on their submitted forms.

The votes involved two potential NSHE policy initiatives — the first being a significant reduction in the amount of notification days that employers would have to give administrators before terminating them. Employees hired after Dec. 1, 2015, would be given only 60 days of prior notification instead of a year’s notice, which is the policy in place.

The second proposal involved granting the NSHE Chancellor Dan Klaich more power over administrative faculty transfers between Truckee Meadows Community College, Western Nevada College and UNR. If desired, the chancellor would also be given the ability to transfer faculty between northern and southern NSHE institutions. Transfers would be enacted without consent from the moving party or recipient.

UNR’s faculty senate passed a resolution regarding its administration on Nov. 19. The senate noted the importance of the faculty members, stating, “Reducing the notice required for termination of Administrative Faculty devalues our administrative faculty and their importance to the success of this institution.”

The Chair of Faculty Senate Chairs’ report, submitted by the Desert Research Institution Chair and Chair of the Council of Chairs Dana Trimble, described the detrimental impact the changes could have. It stated that the policies would “[not be] conducive to advancing NSHE.” The report also mentioned that the policies “further reduce job security and the institution’s ability to recruit high quality employees.” The senate chairs made it clear that they would continue working with the chancellor and Board of Regents on creating policy changes that would improve the NSHE.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Director of Academic Advising Aaron Brown told the Board of Regents to “leave personnel and hiring decisions to the presidents” in response to the proposals.

The meeting adjourned, leaving the propositions on the table until the Board of Regents’ next meetings with the faculty senate on March 3 and 4.

The news desk can be reached at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @TheSagebrush.